Hold Me
by NodeOne
Summary: Note: This is a self-insert fanfic I basically wrote for myself, but if you want to read it then you're welcome to.
1. No Fear of the Unknown

My legs had not stopped moving for a second. The harsh lights from the ceiling kept blinding my eyes, despite my efforts at squinting them as much as I could. Becoming more intense with each passing light. There was no light at the end of the corridor however; the one I had been running down for… since when did I start? How long had I been going for? I kept running and running, light getting brighter and my legs slowing down. Eventually they stopped, leaving me standing there, staring into the endless corridor.

A rare sensation suddenly filled me up, one I had barely ever felt. It was as if someone had taken a hold of me. Comparable to the feeling of being picked up when we were small. I could not control anything, not even myself. My body was limp, unable to respond to any commands I tried to give it. The feeling my body was currently experiencing was out of this world. Literally. Floating into the air, my eyes rolled upwards, staring into the barely visible ceiling that slowly approached. As I closed up to the cement above me it stretched out more and more, and my body travelled faster and faster upwards. There was no mistake in thinking I would hit the ceiling harder than Michael Richards' career hit the wall.

The hole in the road had hit the car with brute force, slamming my head against the window of the car door. My head hit the window as _I_ would've hit the ceiling. Or rather, so it felt like.

"Ow!" I muttered to myself. Honestly, it had not even hurt that much, it was more the surprise attack of the car door window. My hand slid to the side of my head, rubbing gently through my short, red hair. Even with the engine going, and the static from the radio we had no signal for, there was still a silence in the car that felt unnatural.

A clear night sky let the moon light up the vast amount of nature beside the road. It had been quite a while since I stared out the window of our van like that. I gazed up at the stars and not a cloud could be seen anywhere before my eyes rolled back down towards the green grass. Watching the trees as we sped by, concentrating on one specifically until it was out of my sight. Doing so repeatedly for only a minute or so.

Sounds of movement beside me made me turn my head and in the driver's seat, my mother was sitting quietly, and it did not seem she had noticed me awaking yet. I had at least made enough noise for her to notice, but her mind seemed to be on other thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Her brown, gentle eyes were transfixed on the road in front of us. She barely even blinked, but when she did, you could see drowsiness in her eyes. Slowly, the radio tuned in on a station, breaking the silence that had made me a bit nervous. It was playing off some old 80s pop song, and my mom quickly awakened from her 'mesmerized state'. The gaze of her eyes travelled all over. To radio, out the window beside her, back to the road and finally to me.

"Lyn! You're awake?" In one motion, she turned her eyes back on the road as she spoke those words to me. As I was looking at her, I could not notice how close we actually were to crashing before she took control over the car again. Close by was a parking spot beside the road, 'designed' for three cars, four maybe; it was hard to tell. However, she did not hesitate to push the brakes and turn in with hasty movements that left me shaken. My grip was tight around the handle of the car door and it took some willpower to let go after we had stopped completely. It was definitely a wide stare I gave my mother "Mom?!"

My voice and the tone of it came out a bit angrier than intended and I realized as much as a tear rolled down and dropped from her cheek. Her empty face with nothing else but tears streaming down was a sight I would never forget. I had never seen her this way. The expression on my face shifted quickly. She tried to open her mouth, stuttering while she tried to form coherent words.

"I-I'm sorry, Lyn! I don't know what was with me… I-I…" Even if she tried, she couldn't hold back the tears, "this was supposed to be a relaxing vacation for us and then…"

Her eyes were still drowsy, but even more so now and she seemed far more tired as a whole, "It's okay, mom. Please, let's just stop here for the night."

I pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket, using it to wipe her tears before handing it to her. She nodded her head, agreeing without another word. Before we knew it, we had both gotten out of the van, stretching a bit. My hand reached into the van again to grab the map and flashlight we had with us to figure the way. Apparently, my parents had been to the hotel we were going to and as my mom had always been, she wanted to do it the old fashion way.

_But… where were we even? _

"M-", I walked along the van and peeked in the back, stopping myself from shout as I witnessed her already sleeping one of the two mattresses. I'd never forgive myself if I waked her. A blanket lied beside her and I pulled it over her. She hadn't even managed to do that herself. The map could wait until tomorrow. It fell lightly out of my hand as I crawled into the van and onto the mattress beside my mom. I closed the doors behind me, but right before I managed to close the second one, a noise that could sound like thunder roared through the forest and made me shiver. Quickly, I closed the door and unfortunately, it gave off more noise than I expected. However, my head turned towards the sleeping beauty on the mattress and she was still sleeping like a rock.

It really had me frightened. Letting out my childish side, I pulled my red hoodie over and tightened the straps. For our car trip, I had picked out the comfy hoodie and a black skirt that reached down to my knees to go with it. It was quite hot outside. Again, the sound could be heard. I didn't dare to wake my mom. This time it was closer and it lingered for a while. The flashlight I grabbed along with the map rolled down to my leg when I moved along the mattress. With a swift motion, I picked it up and grabbed ahold of the handle of the car door. All I could hear was a small waterfall nearby and my own breath. Not even the wind gave off any sound.

In all the commotion, I had forgotten an important detail, which I suddenly remembered. There were no clouds. Not by miles, and this was far too close for it to be happening further away. Carefully, my hand pulled at the handle, opening the door and letting in a chill breeze. My body shivered as it passed by and I jumped out of the van. Exactly as I had thought, there were no clouds. Wide open in every corner of the sky.

_What was that sound then?_

I looked down at the flashlight in my hand. Realizing it was of little use with the moonlight, I shoved it into my hoodie's pocket. It was a gift from my dad before we left for our vacation, and he told me to keep it with me if I was to go anywhere at night. My mom was quite upset that he couldn't come; had to stay in the city to work. Maybe that's why she was so weird when we were driving?

Loosening the straps around my hood, I turned towards the forest, scouting after anything that could've made such a terrible sound. It wouldn't be wise to go in there… is what I should've thought at the time, but curious little _'me'_ had to go looking. Looking back at my mother for a second, I smiled before whispering, "I'll be back soon."


	2. Thank You

Nothing exciting ever happened to me, but maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to simply walk into the forest, with whatever was in there. I would be careful. That was at least what I told myself. Grass was brushing up against my thigh highs constantly and a few sticks here and there scraped my knee. A layer of fog made it hard to see much. I hadn't heard anything new either or at least anything similar to the sound that came out from the woods earlier. A few birds, nothing else. I was beginning to doubt it my 'good' idea, but I still kept my calm. Some trees nearby seemed like a good place to relax for a bit, as there were seemingly no threat anywhere in the forest. It was green in every corner of the forest, except for a small patch of dirt with a hill nearby. Bending down to brush some dirt off my thigh highs, I saw something behind me that made my eyes widen. Really, a huge footprint. How could I even explain how large it was? It was unnaturally so.

Before I could even begin to speculate, a giant gray figure crashed into the ground, only a few inches by me. The impact pushed me backwards into a pile of grass, leaving me unharmed. Even seconds later, I could still feel the ground shaking. I had fallen flat on my back and desperately attempted to sit up to gain view of the unbelievable occurrence. The gray figure that had nearly crushed me was lying on the ground at the same spot, but in the same second it vanished into the air as if it was merely smoke.

'_Poof', it said._

Behind the smoke and dust that evaporated, I could spot another figure, but not nearly as large as the previous one. I stumbled on my own two feet almost when trying to stand up, having to use the tree nearby for support. At this point, my heart was racing. The person, or whatever it was, they were just standing there. I pushed myself off the tree to stand on my own, sneaking my hand into my pocket and grabbing ahold of my flashlight. If they hadn't done me harm this far, then would they at all? Still, I didn't dare take any chances of being completely vulnerable. The figure became clearer in the light of the moon, revealing herself as a tall and large woman, dressed up in some tight-looking suit with many varying colors. A pair of unusual and pointy glasses or sunglasses hid her eyes and she had one of the weirdest, but coolest haircuts I had seen in my life. It was a large black afro, but shaped like a square. I was honestly in a bit of a shock what had happened and with this mysterious person in front of me, my head only brought up more questions.

I dared take a few steps towards her, but nothing more as she was extremely fixated on me. We both stood still and watched each other until I noticed another one of the giant figures made of stone behind her. It was clear who the enemies were here. She did not seem to have noticed yet and it was ready to strike her down with both of its hand over the head. I opened my mouth to call out to her, and before I knew it she had already turned around, but she appeared to have been surprised. In my good throwing hand, I held my flashlight tight, looking up at the creature threatening the woman. If it would help, I didn't know, but I wouldn't just stand by if I could help her from getting crushed.

Without hesitation, I took aim at its head, throwing it with all the force I could muster. It went flying through the air, hitting the creature in one of its eyes. I hoped that it felt pain, and so it did. The shriek from it was an unearthly noise, forcing me to cover my ears. However, the female warrior didn't seem to be disturbed by it, making a simple motion with her hands and from a few lights, gauntlets appeared around her hands. There were symbols of a star on each of them and something sparkling that looked like crystals on the knuckles. She drew her hand backwards in a synchronized pattern with her foot before landing a lethal blow on the giant's leg. The creature was not even able to react to the force of her punch, sending it flying down into the ground like a ballerina. 'Poof', it went too. Again, the impact shook the ground, but not at the same degree as before. I only leaned against a tree to be sure.

Her tall and strong body lingered in the pose of the strike before she straightened up and fixed her glasses' position. I was in awe and unable to think for myself, only staring at her. It was quiet before she turned around and reached her hand out to me. The gauntlets she had been wielding disappeared in beautiful white light, showing off her soft hands. At least compared to the gauntlets.

Dared I walk up to her? She had evaporated that giant thing into thin air! Her hand still reached out for me. My feet began with small steps, moving slowly towards her. Had I feared for my life I hadn't even begun approaching. In addition, there was something else about her. Something that made me feel_ safe_. The small steps became a bit larger, letting me stretch my own hand carefully out towards hers. Our hands finally touched and I, being the awkward person I am, ended up blushing. I hadn't noticed the rectangular crystal that laid perfectly in the palm of her hand until I felt I brush at my fingertips. My heart jumped once she lifted her left hand, thinking I was in trouble, but all she did was lay it on top of mine.

"Thank you", was all she said, but with a faint smile.

I would've looked her in the eyes if it had been possible, but a smile was good enough to enjoy. Out of nowhere, the loud shrieking from the creature alarmed through the forest. It wasn't close and had not hurt my ears this time. It could've come from anywhere and taken me! Only one thing held me, though, and that was this mysterious woman, pulling me to her and holding me tight. For protection, of course. I stared into the forest, but before I was able to scout out anything, she had already picked me up in her arms, carrying me as she sprinted towards the hill.

Rounding the corner, we could see a crystal clear platform that was close. That must've been our goal. Before reaching it however, we encountered another one of the giants, and now I did not dare look.

"Hold on." I hid my face against her neck, throwing my arms around her as well. The shrieks were endless and was even worse without being able to cover one's ears. Her pace picked up quickly, dodging several of the giant's attacks. Eventually she stopped and wrapped her hands around me as I shivered, on the verge of tears. We had arrived at the platform, but we were not safe yet. I could still hear them, and I would not forget the sound easily. The platform was located under stable stone pillars also held up by other pillars.

I looked up for only a second and one of the giant's hands were coming straight for us. Its hand hit the stone pillars, cracking them all into two and pushing the supporting ones away. Right before we could witness any more, light beamed up from the platform and brought us out, only crushing the platform we used to escape.


	3. Still Dreaming

My eyes slowly slid open; staring into the wooden ceiling of the house, I had been resting in. I attempted at moving my arm and felt it buzzing. Must've fallen asleep on it. The room was warm and cozy, maybe a bit too warm for me. Even so, it was nice. Never had I been very resistant to heat, but I wouldn't say no to a hot summer day. It was quite a dream I had.

Letting my eyes wander around the room from the ceiling, all I could see were a few shelves to my left, filled with books and decorations. None of it was familiar to me, yet, I was so out of it at the time I wasn't able to comprehend it. I turned my head in the other direction, facing another individual's presence. A cute nose was pointing out at me underneath his eyes. His hair was round, black and consisted of small dots of hair sticking out everywhere. I kept staring at him in disbelief before he almost shouted at me, "You're awake!"

"Hi, I'm Steven!" he exclaimed immediately after.

_Still dreaming_, I thought. My head was a mess and I couldn't make myself do anything. It was a surreal experience. A surreal dream. His smile calmed me, though, keeping me from panicking.

"Hey~ Are you alright?" His smile turned into a frown, showing worry in his expression. Before I could react or say anything, he placed his palm on top of my forehead. As it rested there, my eyes closed by themselves and I let out a deep relieved sigh. Opening my eyes again after a few seconds, his smile had appeared again and I could smile back at him. I gave him a confirming nod as I tried sitting up.

"Whoa, easy! Don't want to faint again, right?" he chuckled.

"F-faint?" Had I fainted? I had never done that in my life. Fortunately, I didn't become dizzy from sitting up. Brushing some of my hair out the way, I turned towards Steven, blushing a bit.

"Yeah, you were out when Garnet came home. She was carrying you in her arms!" he explained, spreading his arms into the air. His body language was very expressive, "Pearl was hysterical as always, and Amethyst thought it was funny. As always."

_Garnet? That was her name?_

_Pearl… and Amethyst._

"Those are unusual names. Not to be rude or anything." I stretched at my skirt nervously, but still kept eye contact with Steven.

"Well, what's your name?" His eyes shined, waiting expectantly for an answer with the widest smile on his face.

For a moment, I hesitated, but answered politely, "I'm Lyn." I smiled back at him.

"Lyn…" he grabbed his chin with his fingers and folded his left arm under his right, fooling around with the name in his head, "Nope! Can't say I've met anyone with that name before!"

I giggled at his behavior. It was so sweet and innocent and he was very cute, "You should be called cutie pie."

His face looked a bit surprised, "Garnet usually tells me that's my middle name." He scratched the back of his head, his cheeks giving off a faint color of red.

Looking up from my lap, my eyes gazed throughout the house. I noticed it was very open and only one wooden wall blocked off another room, built by walls of stone. A sofa, a fireplace, a kitchen with everything that one contains. It was more like a large living room. I stared up and trailed the ceiling with my eyes, wondering what was above me. As I saw the wall of stones again, my curiosity caught me as well. Parts of the room were visible from the couch, but all I could make of it was something with the shape of a door. Suddenly, I noticed a platform that looked exactly like the one had arrived with…

"It was Garnet… Amethyst and Pearl, right? Where are they?" I asked him, hoping I hadn't forgotten already.

He nodded his head confirming, "Yup! They told me to watch you while they went out on a mission."

The next expression my face showed was probably the most confused I had looked "A mission?" Were they secret spies or something? I smiled at how ridiculous the thought was.

"Yeah, they're out fighting some sort of gem monster!" he pouted, "I can't really remember what they said. I was busy playing my new video game, so…"

All memories of what happened before I passed out suddenly seemed to flood into my mind. Steven's description of what they were fighting had seemed trigger something in me and my face went pale. I could feel it in my throat as I swallowed. The gigantic monsters, shrieking and attacking us. The amount of vulnerability I had shown. I wasn't brave, I knew that already, but I wasn't dumb either. To not be afraid of those… things. However, here was something, or rather, someone who helped me hold it together. At least long enough for us to get out of there. Garnet. That's what Steven said her name was. I stated it was an unusual name, but it was an incredibly beautiful one too. My mind drifted off in the feeling of how safe she had made me feel, calming me almost completely.

Unintentionally, I held my breath before letting it out along with a deep sigh. I was so out of it, but Steven sat beside me, still looking up at me, whilst his feet waved back and forth on the edge of the couch. It didn't seem like he had noticed the panic in my eyes, which relieved me. On the other hand, maybe he had. It was hard to tell with this little dude.

"Dooooo you wanna try it, maybe? While we wait for Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl?" His fingers grabbed around and stretched at the edges of his red shirt with the cute star in the middle.

After spacing out for a while, lost in the train of thought, I looked down at Steven with a smile "Try what?"

"My new game! You're this cool knight who's cursed, and you travel through the undead lands to cure yourself of it, by fighting all types of monsters!" he explained, bringing his hands together and making a motion with them like he was swinging a sword of his own.

"Oh, I love video games! I play them all the time" and I really did. It was my favorite hobby. The mention of video games had legitimately made me excited, forgetting all about what had recently happened. Steven grabbed my arm, pulling at it to show me the way "C'mon then!"

As fast as I could, I got up on my two feet, following Steven as he continued to lead me. We made our way up the stairs I had rested by, revealing an open bedroom. I envied him, having such a cool spot for a bedroom. He sat me down by the couch, smiling as he hurriedly set up the game for us to play. The view out the window from his bedroom was quite something else than I was used to. Normally, there were just trees and grass. Here however, I could see a beautiful beach, stretching along the hill. The house seemed to be built right beside it, explaining the walls of stone inside. In the distance, I spotted a boardwalk and small parts of structures that looked like a town. Beyond that, everything was open green hills and the ocean washing up by the shore.

Sunbeams shined through the window, warming up the floor in front of me, as well as my feet. I hadn't noticed I was bare feet until then. Wondering how the sand would feel beneath my feet, I wiggled my toes up and down, smiling as I remembered how good it really felt. Lost in my own thoughts again, Steven had to wave his hands in front of me to get my attention. "Hello~ Earth to Lyn!"

A controller suddenly, but slowly floated up in front of my face. He gave it sounds like it was some sort of spaceship until it hit my nose, and giving off a 'boop'! His childishness actually made me smile and even laugh, as well as he did. My hand grabbed for the controller, pulling it down and placing it in between my hands. Steven jumped up on the bed and lied down beside me, waiting patiently for me to press the next button.

"I could tell you about me and the gems if you'd like" Steven suggested.


	4. Thank You As Well

There were no longer any sunrays shining through the window as the sun fell in the horizon. Wave after wave washed up on land, shimmering in the light of the large yellow circle, disappearing behind the vast ocean. Only the roof of the house was graced by the sun's warmth.

All that illuminated part of Steven's room was the TV and his game idling in the background. A calm tune of violins and harps sounded from it on a low volume, but just enough to set the mood. For what seemed like hours, Steven had told me the stories of his missions with 'the gems'. Actually, his endless monologue had convinced me that, I was in fact, not crazy. I believed every word, and why wouldn't I after what I experienced? He was a child after all, and I didn't think that he would try to trick me. I had my legs crossed in front of me, listening patiently, almost as if I was on the edge at all times.

"The last thing we did was chase after Peridot, plus Garnet and I found this gem monster thing… She seemed really scared and she usually never is." Steven finished his story with that. Seeing Garnet in action last night had proven that she was not usually scared either. I was an incredibly emotional person and it affected me greatly once I saw the expression on his face.

"Why do the Homeworld gems have to attack us?" he questioned, "If they could understand…" I didn't know what else to do and I felt so sorry for him. My arms reached around and pulled him close into a hug. No one should have to go through all the things he had at his age. Even if he was all grown up. A shed a tear trying to hold back from crying. "Hey, it's alright" Steven explained, "I'm alright." His fingers stroked my cheek where the tear had fell. I was supposed to be a grown up, which was hard for me to act like. Feeling young was how I felt most of the time, even when adult responsibilities came in the way. Before I could speak another word, a strange sound alarmed me. It felt familiar. "Steven? We're back!" But not that. Lights came back on, stratling me a little.

The boy sprung up from his bed and ran down the stairs, "Guys, guess who is awake!" Pearl, who had called Steven, looked in surprise at him. I was a bit hard to see where I was sitting from their point of view. It was a bit hard for me to see too and Steven thought I had followed him down the stairs, trying to present me. He looked confused once he was no one else by him.

The pale gem was rather confused as well, with the purple one right behind, "Where is she…?" Steven looked up towards the room where I was still sitting, "Oh, she's a bit shy." Amethyst approached the conversation, "She wasn't invisible the last time we saw her!" They had seen me unconscious…? I was just kinda lying there and- It was embarrassing and I didn't want to think about it. He rubbed the back of his head and sprinted back up to me. Once he reached the top, I jumped a bit after being lost in my own thoughts. "It's okay, Lyn. They're nice, I promise!" Their faint shadows cast over us, from the light in the main room. I could see Steven stressing a bit for my sake, but I felt it would be alright. They did look friendly. Their introduction started with the taller one, "Hello, Lyn. It's nice to meet you. My name is Pearl and this here is Amethyst." She patted the shorter one's head, who was making a dorky face, "Yo, Lyn! Like your hair!" It made me giggle how silly she was and the compliment also made me flustered.

"Thank you, Amethyst. I-" The strange sound alarmed me again. "That's just the warp pad" Pearl explained, "Garnet must be back!" My eyes shot up once I heard her name and my heart skipped a beat. Pearl jumped them from Steven's room down to Garnet, who I could barely see. Her look was the same and the glasses were still hiding her eye's focus. The two of them were chatting about strange things like monsters, probably the ones Steven told me about. For a few seconds, everyone's concentration was geared towards Garnet's arrival. Steven leaped from his room and with ease, Garnet caught him, "Garnet!" The purple gem walked up to me with a smirk. They all did seem friendly like Steven had told me. What was she thinking, though? Amethyst sat down beside me, gently nudging my arm with her elbow. "You alright?" I sat there and looked at her for a moment. It was strange, because I felt both alright and... not so alright. How did she know? There were a lot of mixed feelings inside of me at the moment. From Garnet, new friends and what I had experienced the day before. I wasn't especially good at hiding it. Her arms wrapped around me and gave me a quick hug. It made me feel better. She smiled friendly at me before speaking, "Don't stare at her too much. She notices." A light giggle came from her and my face blushed a bright red.

Meanwhile, Garnet had finished talking with Pearl for now and held Steven up in front of her, "It's bed time for you." A heavy sigh came from him, "Awww, but you just got back! And I want us all to have fun together!" Her head moved barely an inch, as if she was looking at me. Again, my most vital organ skipped a beat.

"Tomorrow" she replied, putting him down. Figuring I had to move, I quickly made my way down the stairs, crossing my hands behind my back and stood there watching Steven make his way back up. I could see how his body basically jumped when he remembered something. He hurried down towards me and hugged me, or, my feet that would be. It warmed my heart immensely and I pat his hair, stroking through it a few times. "Good night, guys!" Now it was his time for bed. Both Pearl and Amethyst gave each other a strange look. Garnet chatted with the other two and soon they were both on their way to their rooms. The door opened for Amethyst, and Pearl seemed to follow her too. She looked back before entering, and it closed behind her. Suddenly, me and Garnet were alone. Almost. As the tall beauty walked towards me, I could feel just how rapid my heart started to beat. A gentle hand on my shoulder steered me towards the door and at the corner of my eye, Steven watched us leave out the door.

We rested on the fence, feeling the mild wind across my face. I needed some air and the air was warm and refreshing, much different from home. Home... How would I get home? The last thing I remembered from that awful experience were these pillars falling on top of the warp pad. Maybe it wasn't easily broken, though.

"Are you alright?" I looked at her and nodded. She looked down back at me, her glasses still placed perfectly over her eyes and on her nose. Her hand hadn't moved from my shoulder. It made me feel safe, honestly. Comfortable too. It made me forget about the dreadful things which had happened the day before, when we first met. I dared to shuffle closer to her, resting my body against hers. "I..." she started, her voice different. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I thought I made the right decision by bringing you here." She didn't seem to mind my confident move. Neither of us were good at talking. Garnet had more control, though.

"Thank you for saving me." I didn't know much else to say and wrapped my arms around her. After a moment, I could feel her arms around me too. It was far different from what I expected. A wonderful feeling spread through me as her hand trailed through my hair. "We'll get you home too" Garnet said reassuringly.

We stood there for some time and she didn't seem to mind that either. Suddenly, the woman I'd call a brave, strong warrior picked me up in her arms. Her expression was calm, but I hinted a small smile on her lips. She led me inside to the couch, quietly, as not to wake Steven. Assuming he was asleep, of course. I blushed such a red color, I didn't know if I was about to faint. No one had ever treated me this way and it honestly felt wonderful. Like she actually wanted to keep me safe. Hopefully it wasn't just from guilt. The way she put me so lightly down was like falling onto a cloud. Beside me lied a couple of blankets, I could help myself to get them. Until she rose from the floor, she sat kneeled in front of me and I felt I had been blushing the whole time, "Thank you again." The glasses in front of her eyes slowly sank down as she removed them, revealing her eyes and leaving me in a bit of a shock. Steven had told me much in the short time, and a few details were bound to be left out. They looked kind and soft and didn't frighten me. Just a bit unusual.

"Get some rest, Lyn" was all she said, in a calm and sensual tone. It made me shiver and even though I didn't think I could blush more, I managed to. The fantastic feeling I had felt before stayed and warmed all throughout me. Garnet slid the glasses back on again, walking towards the door with the star in the higher-middle part of was the last thing I saw before I drifted off into slumber.


	5. Help

Throughout that summer, I had an amazing time with Steven and the gems. Steven even helped me contact my parents and I assured them I was alright. They weren't a hundred percent comfortable with it. Pearl had a talk with them and told them I was in good hands.

I would watch Steven when the gems went on missions he couldn't go on. We stayed and his best friend Connie would come over. It was summer vacation for her as well. They trusted me enough, and I couldn't do much wrong either way. Sometimes they had to leave for their missions and I would have to stay back at the temple.

"Can't she come with?" Steven asked nicely, "Pleeeeeease?" Pearl looked worried, shifting looks back and forth between Steven and I.

"I don't think so, Steven. Even if it's supposed to be a quick and easy mission. She has no way of protecting herself. Garnet...?" I looked up at her and she met me with the same stare she usually gave me. However, she did always give me a reassuring smile afterwards, which warmed my heart. There was no doubt I had developed feelings for her. I didn't dare to act on them and I didn't think I could either. "I'll look out for her."

"Really?!" Steven and I asked surprised in unison. How would she do that? I blushed at the thought of being in her arms. The pale gem stared at the tallest, a bit confused by her unexpected decision, "G-garnet, are you sure this is a good idea?" She was worried about me, and probably didn't want to be responsible for me either. Garnet didn't say anything and simply nodded. Steven grabbed my hand and dragged me onto the warp pad with the rest of them, jumping up and down excitedly. Amethyst looked happy about it too, and Pearl... she looked concerned about Garnet's decision to bring me with. As the warp activated, and the white light engulfed us, I could feel a hand between my waist and chest. I turned to see Garnet's arm pulling me close, and her smile shining down at me. Her smile spread all throughout me, filling me with happiness. My hand took a grip around hers, holding her even tighter.

A whiteness surrounded us, which disappeared almost as soon as it swallowed us. My landing wasn't very steady, which was probably why Garnet had held me so close. In front of us, a large stone formation lied, carved with a hole in the lower middle. It reminded me a lot the Crystal Gem's temple, without the house, of course. Around us, plants and trees hid the temple from anything I would call civilization. Lush grass, plants and trees, stretching as far as I could see. We slowly walked towards the opening, which narrowed down to a sealed-off doorway. Steven was usually so energetic and playful, now he seemed more focused on the mission. Careful, but still himself. Garnet had let go of me, maybe afraid that the others would notice. Still, I stayed close to her.

Pearl walked forward, inspecting the doorway. "It seems simple enough to-" The sound of stone cracking and hitting the ground stopped her, "-break." Garnet's gauntlets disappeared again, and she made her way inside. A cloud of smoke hid the inside for a while, until it cleared. Steven and I coughed a couple of times as it hit us faintly. The pale gem followed her teammate inside and Amethyst right behind. "Come on, Lyn!" the precious child said excited. I followed them inside, gasping quietly at the interior. It was like nothing I had ever seen. The gems never allowed me inside the temple. Therefor I was quite surprised. In the main room, which we entered, large sculptures covered the walls. Beside, above and below them, murals covered the rest of the room. There was too much for me to understand any of it, and I gave up as soon as I tried. It was interesting to look at, though. I looked over at Steven and he seemed to feel the same way. Garnet, however, and Pearl too, didn't seem too happy about it. I could tell by Pearl's expression.

"The signal must've come from further in." Pearl broke the silence with that and a light emitted from her gem, much like a flashlight. It was quite dark, and the light revealed three different paths. The three doorways curved and the edges inscribed with symbols that seemed like clutter to me. Steven searched in his back pockets and pulled out two small flashlights for him and me, "Here you go! Garnet told me it would be dark." How could she have known that? It boggled my mind for a bit. He leaned in and whispered to me, "Oh, she has future vision." Garnet was staring into each of the hallways, and I stared at her as he told me. "Future vision...?" I whispered back. Steven nodded and walked up to the tallest gem, "Pearl, Amethyst. You take the left one." They stared at her for a moment before turning to each other, smiling slightly, "You're the boss! Let's go, P!" Amethyst giggled quietly, tagging alongside Pearl into the dark empty hall.

I studied the murals again, unaware of what else was happening around me. Even if I had told myself not to even try, there was just something intriguing about them. Something so... alien about them, that made me try again. There were paintings too. Not just forging letters and symbols. It felt like I had been looking at them for merely a few seconds and suddenly I was alone in the main hall. Pearl and Amethyst took the left corridor, I caught that much. No idea which way Garnet and Steven went, though. I didn't want to worry them and it would've been careless to choose a corridor and walk in. My decision was to wait where they had left me. Besides, there was still much to look at. The whole room was an experience. I could've been in the best museum in the world and it still wouldn't beat that room. Most of the paintings had humanoid shapes, with larger and smaller ones, representing a story I could not grasp fully.

Dust gathered on the lower parts of the walls that curved in on the middle. Brushing it off, it revealed even more. My head spun around the room a few times. It felt like my life turned upside down. For the better in this case. Compared to this and even just standing in this old temple, was much more exciting than my life back home.

Home...

I had been with the gems for a while. I felt attached to them. They cared for me. They enjoyed my company, as well, it seemed. While feeling the same way about them, it was hard for me to realize I had to go back. My mother was probably worried sick. What if she thought I was dead? It wasn't something I wanted to think about, making me shake the thought off. I couldn't go home anyways. Garnet told me so.

And Garnet...

We often shared these moments. Where she would show me extra kindness. Make me feel safe and secure. One night, when I had a bad nightmare, she sat beside me on the couch and comforted me. Caressing and lulling me to sleep. I didn't forget that easily. She treated me with such loving care and it was often too. Never had she spoken a word about it. I kept thinking, maybe she felt something special for me. I felt something for her too, I was sure of that. Did I dare act on it? Of course not. Being socially awkward wasn't fun from before. As well as having to confess to Garnet, with how intimidating she was? Her intimidation also had a factor on why I was into her. That and Garnet was beautiful. Blushing and smiling at the thought, I figured I would try to tell her at some point. Just not the same day.

My body rested against the wall, and with a small click, I shot up into the air, worried I had broken something. The next few seconds, everything was quiet. Stone grinding against each other broke that silence, and the openings to the room shut before I knew it. I panicked and I mean, really panicked. Screwing up was one of my biggest fears, and now I had probably messed up big time. All around the room, I scouted, not seeing a thing. Suddenly, a few drops of water came falling form the ceiling, eventually pouring in larger portions. There was nowhere else for the water to go and it would fill up the room. More and more came falling down from the hole, and all I was able to do was stand there and watch it soon raise over my ankles. It was slow, yes, but it would soon drown me if I didn't find a way out.

"G-garnet!" My voice wasn't the loudest, I had to try again, "Garnet!" Would it help if I tried calling any of the others? "Steven?! Help!" What if they weren't able to hear me? I... didn't want to die. The water was now on level with my knees, pouring in faster now, "Garnet, help!" I felt so helpless, trying to just look around the room even, I couldn't see any escape. Panicking made my body unable to move. Before I was completely limp, I tried moving about, pushing on the wall, even hitting it. Nothing helped. It came down faster and faster and by now, it was up to my chest. I tried climbing up on the various statues to keep my head above water for as long as possible. Adrenaline shot through me and it gave me just a bit of strength enough to keep me my head up for a while. Being a good swimmer didn't help much when you were about to drown either way.

One more time before I felt all strength in my body disappear, "Garnet!" I wanted to cry and only a couple of tears came running down my cheeks before all of me was beneath the surface. I could feel the life draining out of me, as there was no more oxygen in me.

My eyes slowly slid open, and all I could see was darkness. The darkness slowly disppeared however and brought out a familiar face, the pressure on my lips disappearing. "Garnet?" I thought, before coughing up large amounts of water and gasping for breath. "Lyn..." she said worried. The tall, purple-ish gem held me in her arms as I continued to cough. She didn't seem to mind, continuing to look worried at me. Small coughs came from me while we stared at each other.

"Lyn..." she paused, and slid her glasses off slowly and brought me closer to her, "I should've been able to see it..."

"Garnet" I started off, coughing a couple of times again. She knew what I would say, "Don't blame yourself, please..." Tears started streaming down my face, "Thank you for saving me." Another cough came out of me. "Thank you so much..."

I lied limp in her arms, still breathing heavily and staring back into her gorgeously colored eyes. Exactly as when I had a nightmare, Garnet comforted me. Stroking my hair and caressing my face. A couple of tears fell from her eyes, quickly wiping them away when she heard Steven yelling in the background.

"Garnet, is she okay?!" Steven was worried too, but relieved to see me awake. Pearl and Amethyst came running right behind asking the same question. "What happened?!" Amethyst exclaimed, "...and why are you all wet?"

My savior placed her glasses firmly in front of her eyes again, lifting me up in her arms and carrying me off towards the warp pad, "She needs rest." The two other gems looked at each other with the same expression, "Come on, gems." Steven hurried off after Garnet to make sure I was all right as well, while the other two took a bit more time, chatting about what happened.

In her arms, I rested easily, exhausted after my rescue.


	6. Home Again

"So... when you got there, Pearl and Amethyst had formed Opal?" Steven nodded, giving me the answer to my question. It made sense. They were very joyful about being stuck together by Garnet. The first night I saw them entering the same room for the night, as well. Best if I didn't mention that detail to Steven, though.

"They used to be really unfriendly to each other. It barely happens now anymore." The child made a distinct expression. He thought long and hard on it. "That's a good thing, Steven" I explained, even if he obviously understood that, "They've become good friends from what they used to be." Steven made it clear they were definitely not the best of friends a while back. His head tilted upwards and a smile spread across his face. It delighted me, giving me no choice but to smile back at him.

Yesterday had been more than just a stressful day. For that reason, just hanging out with Steven was nice and comforting. Merely his presence was enough to make me feel happy. However, he tried to comfort me in his own way, by showing me some of the stuff in his room and we played somes games. That helped too. Garnet hadn't spoken after we arrived at the temple, and by the time we got back it was midnight. The rest walked to their own rooms, worried, while Garnet sat beside me and lulled me to sleep again. None of us had seen her after that and I hoped she was all right.

In a flash, as I was thinking of her, she appeared behind me and only Steven saw her. He was giggling like a dork, and I immediately knew something was up. Before I could react however, the tallest gem lifted me up by my sides. Garnet turned me towards her, and with a hurried motion, I wrapped myself around her, exclaiming "Garnet!" Behind me again, I could hear Steven going "Awww~"

I separated myself barely from Garnet, watching her smiling friendly back at me. The warmth it sent throughout my body filled my cheeks with a bright red color. Her facial expressions were hard to read behind those glasses. I was in a good state of mind and she seemed to be relieved. It was mostly because of her. Her way of making me feel safe and secure with her around. Only a few seconds after, she put me down, still resting a hand on my arm. With Steven around, it was more awkward to be intimate with Garnet, like we had a few times before. Could barely call secretive hand holding intimate. It was something in that range, though.

"What's up, Garnet?" Steven asked excited. Waiting a few seconds before answering, Garnet looked down at me. Strangely enough, she was hesitant with her answer.

"I wanted to ask Lyn if she would care for a walk." Once she spoke, her words were clear like usual and sounded casual. In her casual kind of way. A walk? "I would love to! I mean... yes." I had a way of over exaggerating and it made me feel like a complete dumbass. Her smile once again brightened me up, filling my whole body with that same warmth as earlier. "I'll meet you outside."

Before leaving, she caressed my cheek with a quick motion, leaving me with my heart up at my throat. If I had been in a cartoon, my pupils would've been heart shaped as I watched her walk down the stairs and outside. I turned around to look at Steven, witnessing his head tilting to the side. The expression on his face was both confused and priceless, "Garnet doesn't take walks..."

Grabbing my jacket, Steven came over and hugged me again, "I'm happy that you're here." I kneeled down to his height, hugging him back. "I am too. But why do you say that now?" It was a bit strange how he said it out of nowhere. Gave me tingles and a good feeling on the inside. "I'm not really sure. I knew I hadn't told you that before, though." He was right, he hadn't. I felt like I knew that already, though, and it was nice to hear him say it. "Thank you for letting me stay." Whilst roughing his hair, I slid my red, leather jacket on. Steven's dad, Greg, had been kind enough to give me some money for some extra clothes, in exchange of helping him at the carwash. I gladly accepted, since I didn't want to wear the same clothes every day. The rest of my outfit was just a comfortable summer dress. On the middle of my waist, it split between a white top and transparent, black skirt for the bottom. I wore some comfortable shoes since we were going on a walk and some black, thigh high socks.

"We'll be back in a bit" I told Steven, waving him a friendly goodbye. Making my way downstairs, my eyes spotted Garnet leaning on the railing again, leaving me a certain perspective of her body. Blushing heavily by my thoughts, I opened the door and approached Garnet. With a graceful motion, the divine gem turned towards me and smiled friendly, "Ready?" She reached out her hand to me, waiting for me take it. I felt my heart racing once I took a hold of hers, my whole body tingling with joy. Leading me down the stairs, we made our way towards the boardwalk. We were both quiet and seemed to be fine with just each other's company. Once we arrived, I locked my arm around hers, holding it tightly with both hands. Nearby, an ice cream cart lured us in. My pleading eyes met Garnet's once she looked down at me. Maybe she didn't notice my intention, "Do you want some ice cream?" And she responded with a simple "Yes." I smiled widely and pulled her with me towards the cart. After searching my pockets for some money, I pulled out enough for two small vanilla and chocolate ice creams. Before the man behind the cart handed them to me, he looked a bit strange at Garnet. He smiled and waved us goodbye when we left, though.

It didn't take long for us to finish them as they were not very large. Under the sun, it was refreshing. Garnet was very quiet after that, and she didn't look at me either, except for earlier. I stopped her by the pier, trailing my hand along her arm and looking at her. "Is something... wrong?" My voice did sound worried and frankly, I was. Especially when I remembered what Steven told me. She stood in front of me, both of us sharing the sunlight that was soon drowning in the horizon. Reaching my right hand up to her cheek, I caressed it very lightly with my fingers, only bringing me closer to her. Her head titled down towards me and I could feel it in me how she looked at me. Without noticing, her arms wrapped delicately around me. A glistening effect on her other cheek hit my eye, making me focus on it. It was a tear from under her glasses. Using my left hand to remove her glasses slowly, I witnessed her eyes' fearful look. Another tear streamed down from her right eye, letting me wipe it off gently.

"There's a lot you don't know about me" she suddenly spoke and paused. "I saw you... with me and Steven. I thought that was what happened." I wasn't sure what she fully meant, other than the day before. My expression was a mixture of fear and sadness. This must've been what Steven meant about her future vision.

"I didn't think you would end up in a situation like that. I should've known and it's my fault!" Her voice raised barely for a second, "I saw you drown. I-It would've been my fault. I see so much that can hurt Steven, the Gems... and even you. I do everything I can to help, to prevent harm coming to my friends and you. I... I'm afraid."

Tears streamed down my cheeks, leaving my face looking like a break-up, "G-Garnet, you saved me. That's what matters... You do everything you can and that is so much more than you should be able. You've always be there for them and help them when they need it. They told me so themselves." Throughout that month, they had. I paused for a moment, staring into her eyes, "You're amazing... and you saved my life. Twice already. Well, three if you count that incident with Amethyst." Her face and lips brightened up, giggling slightly at the thought. The same did I. While wiping the tears off her cheeks, she did the same for mine.

There was something I needed to tell her, maybe that's why she was smiling so brightly now. Her arms lifted me up, allowing me to again, wrap my arms and legs around her. She held me up by my back and and slid her hand into my hair, making me shiver. I continued to stare into her alien, angelic eyes. Hesitation was prone to happen.

"I love you, Garnet." Finally. I laughed at myself and let another tear fall before she pressed her lips against mine, softly. It felt like my heart was going to burst with the speed it pumped, filling my stomach with a sour and sweet feeling. My cheeks puffed up with red when I was right about how soft her lips were. The feeling brought me immense happiness, and the joy was so unexplainable. Trailing my hands along her neck, I let them rest on her shoulders, sinking deeper into the blissful kiss. A few seconds after, we felt content with it, for now. "I love you too, Lyn."

We pulled a bit back, instantly making me hug her after she revealed her feelings for me as well. Her skin against mine was the intimacy I craved dearly from her. I rested my head on her right shoulder, hearing her say "Thank you." She put her glasses back on, and slowly started making her way back to the temple, with me in her arms, "Let's go home."

Home. I felt home again.


	7. Extra Chapter by Request: Hot and Cold

Her skin brushed against mine, and every part of my being, shivered. She barely touched me. Our bodies were merely pressed up against each other. The gem's frame pressed closer and hugged me tightly. The warmth from her made me even drowsier, even though I had just awakened. A bit warmed than before.

A light, gentle touch trailed along my back. My brain was still half-asleep, but I noticed how different Garnet's touch was. It felt even lighter and... colder, than previously. I lowly let out a moan, along with a faint blush. Immediately afterwards, two giggling voices alarmed me, striking a variation of panic throughout my body.

"Aww, we made her moan" one of the voices admitted. This was a deep, sharp and seductive one. That one was in front of me.

"She's so cute." The second was a lighter, soothing one, located behind me. Her fingers still trailed up and down my back, pleasing and relaxing my mind and body, "No wonder Garnet likes her."

My lover, or so I would call her. Mentioning her name, the two mysterious and caring women finally succeeded in opening my eyes. I was met with a small red face, blocking my vision from anything else. She gave me a loving smile, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Hello, sleepy head~" the little gem teased. I blushed again, and it was very noticable this time. I felt like I knew her, in a personal way.

"Ha, she blushes just as easy as you, Sapphire!" she exclaimed. For a moment, I had almost forgotten about 'Sapphire'. As if a chilly wind cast over me, the other floated across my skin. She rested on top of me, "Easier than me, wouldn't you say, Ruby?" Hair covered most of Sapphire's face. There was something indistinguishable about her too.

While I pondered on the mystery, Sapphire's hand ran across my chest, right over my heart, sending shivers through my spine again. I bit my lower lip slightly and I could hear them giggling again. Even though I was half naked, I found it humorous how they teased me. Ruby rested her palm on the same spot, emitting her heat. It evened out the cold and left a familiar touch on my heart. They were both quiet,

Ruby and Sapphire. Gems, both of them. They both felt so familiar and they knew Garnet. In the matter of a few seconds, it all clicked and I felt embarassed for not seeing it sooner.

"Y-you're Garnet? The two of you?" Steven had explained the best he could to me about gem fusion, and I actually understood it as they both had a large grin on their faces, nodding agreement. Lying on my side, I continue to stare into their eyes after Sapphire revealed her one. It didn't surprise me at this point, and I found them both as beautiful as Garnet was. If not more precious together.

"We just wanted to say hi!" Ruby explained briefly, "We feel the same for you as Garnet does" Sapphire finished.

"We love you."

In unison, they confessed as Garnet had on the boardwalk. The whole thing left me in a bit of a shock. I was so happy to feel loved and wanted, it didn't actually matter. Ruby pushed her the hand with her gem between my cheek and the pillow. Sapphire slid her hand along my neck and up to the other cheek, resting it there. Their gems soothed me and a smile spread across my face.

A sharp light surrounding each of them blended me for a few seconds, until it vanished. I could still feel the touch on each of my cheeks, with a more balanced temperature. My eyes slid open again, while Garnet still cradled my cheeks.

"Garnet..." was all I managed to say before her lips pressed against mine. The kiss filled me with joy as it had before, only leaving me wanting a deeper one. Her gems shined momentarily through the kiss, sliding all over my body, making me feel incredible. What her touch did to me was unexplainable. I knew I loved it. She broke the kiss by slowly pulling her head back, a small string of drool connecting our lips.

"I love you." Garnet really was her own person, or gem. Ruby and Sapphire knew what she felt, though.

"I love you too. So, so much." The love and happiness I felt, I didn't want it to ever go away, "Don't ever leave me, please."

Her beautiful eyes, which she shared from Ruby and Sapphire, looked worried at me for a moment before she kissed each of my cheeks. Grabbing a hold of my hands, Garnet kissed my palms and stroked each of them against her face lovingly. Again, our eyes met, "I won't leave you, Lyn. I promise."


End file.
